While Red Sox Nation is surely disappointed in Boston’s A.L.C.S. loss, the rest of the baseball world can enjoy knowing that this year’s champion will be the eighth different team to win it all in the last nine years, as the 2008 Fall Classic features one team that hasn’t been to the World Series in 15 years playing against a team that is playing in its first-ever postseason.
Give that man a raise
Matt Garza deserves a significant bonus from his bosses. Not only was he responsible for half of the Rays’ A.L.C.S. wins, but he pitched his heart out in the biggest game in the franchise’s history. The Red Sox had the momentum going into Game 7, having won the previous two games including the huge comeback from seven runs down in Game 5, but Garza shut down their offense for 7+ innings, throwing 118 pitches. But let’s not forget about Dioner Navarro, either. He may not have the experience of Jason Varitek, but he calls a hell of a game.
Oh, Canada!
Canadian and Australian players on all four teams that made it to the League Champion Series had serious impacts – both positive and negative – on their teams’ playoff runs:
Jason Bay – .469 on base percentage vs. Tampa Bay
Grant Balfour – 19.29 E.R.A. in four appearances against the Red Sox
Russell Martin – .118 batting average vs. Philadelphia
Matt Stairs – pinch-hit game-winning home run against the Dodgers in Game 4
How exciting would it be to see the Canadian Stairs face the Australian Balfour late in a close (perhaps a tie) game with the Series on the line?
How good was Greg Maddux in his prime?
Younger baseball fans might not be able to appreciate pitcher Greg Maddux now that he’s 42, hasn’t made an All-Star team since 2000, and is not the ace he once was, but Maddux was a dominant pitcher for the bulk of his career. In the 1990’s, Maddux won four Cy Young Awards in a row (1992-1995), and not one of them was undeserved. The HIGHEST E.R.A. Maddux had during those four years was 2.36 in 1993 when he went 20-10 in his first year in Atlanta. He had back-to-back years with 10 Complete Games in ’94 and ’95 – years in which he compiled unheard of WHIPs of 0.896 and 0.811. He also won a gold glove every year from 1990 through 2002 (as well as 2004 through 2007). He may not blow hitters away these days, but no team will miss facing Greg Maddux when he retires.
You can’t put a Price on pitching
After becoming just the fourth pitcher in baseball history to record a postseason win before winning a regular season game, Rays phenom David Price added to his resume by collecting a save (in Game 7, no less) in the A.L.C.S. against the Red Sox. Who ever said you need experience to win in the playoffs?
